Unemployment numbers released this week showed that Covington County residents are in better shape than most of their neighbors in surrounding counties when it comes to employment.

For the second month in a row, the jobless rate held at 8.7 percent. With the exception of Coffee County, which benefits from its proximity to Ft. Rucker, the local unemployment rate was the same or lower than that of any neighboring county, and it was only 1.4 percent higher than Coffee County.

Local rates are lower than they’ve been in 18 months, and that’s good news.

Similarly, sales tax totals released earlier this month showed both Andalusia and Covington County have seen growth in that revenue stream of 1.9 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, another sign of a stable local economy.

We’re glad to share the good news.